Cadence
Title: Cadence Chapter 13
Summary: Draco and Hermione worked together. Trouble ensues once he takes an interest.
Characters/Pairings: Hermione Granger
Genre: Romance
Rating/Warnings: Overall PG-13
Word Count: 867
Hermione frowned. She had just lost a staring contest with her desk - waiting for some wonderful thing to appear as it had every week for the last month. She had fallen into routine, expecting something to arrive on Fridays and was thus confused when it had not. Perhaps this week was merely…different and Draco wanted to actually communicate with her. Her mind ran through what the gift could be: dinner at an expensive restaurant that she was underdressed for (or maybe he would give her an outfit for it), a trip to the opera or to a play, but more likely it would be something that was beyond her imagination.
She tread toward his office, something she had often done over the years. He was her intellectual equal, so countless debates - over issues or just semantics - had dragged her in there because of drafts or notes sent in the office. A lazy smile crossed her lips watching him carefully pull on his outer cloak, which covered his sharp muggle pinstriped suit. Draco had to do everything the best - even “Muggle Fridays.”
His eyes glanced over as she stepped through the doorway, but he did not smile. In fact, she had no idea how he felt because his body posture and facial expressions may as well have been ice. The temperature dropped around her, and Hermione would have sworn she felt a chill in her spine.
“If you’re looking for a gift, Granger, you’re looking in the wrong place,” Draco clipped out.
“Where is the right place?” Hermione asked playfully. So it wasn’t in either of their offices. Where was it?
“I wouldn’t know,” he answered, brushing past her and leaving a confused witch in his wake.
Title: Cadence Chapter 14
Summary: Draco and Hermione worked together. Trouble ensues once he takes an interest.
Characters/Pairings: Hermione Granger
Genre: Romance
Rating/Warnings: Overall PG-13
Word Count: 288
Draco acted completely professionally the next week, which under previous conditions would not even have been caught on her radar. But after the last month, she felt slighted, and Hermione was not entirely sure why he was acting that way. Before she would have rubbed it off as Malfoy being an arse. But she knew well enough now that he was not being an arse to her for the sake of being an arse. He had to feel she had done something to deserve it. She put off asking him what she had done wrong day after day until Friday Hermione shoved her fear aside and approached his office during lunch.
Her eyes stuck to the floor, which desperately needed attention. Her feet shuffled their best shuffle, which merely slowed her pace rather than scuff her shoes. Her eyes raised and shifted to the left as his closed door came closer. At first, the witch merely stood there, facing that last wriggling worm of doubt winding through her mind. She exhaled loudly, as if to expel the doubt. Knocking, she waited in silence. It was too silent in fact, much too silent.
After a minute, she tried to push the door open - it was locked. A little ‘Alohomora’ did the trick though (Draco had been denied permission to set up wards about his office…he had asked). Inside, the office was empty, even devoid of his usual family pictures. He rarely locked them up or took them with him when she left. Hermione frowned. Fine. He could run, but he would have to be back on Monday - she would confront him then.
But Draco Malfoy had not just run - he hid. Hermione discovered, upon tea in the staff room on break with their boss, that Malfoy was taking his paid vacation. He would not be there the entire week.
Hermione sat, stirring her tea until it was cold. What had she done? She had to have done something. The last gift had been tickets to Dropkick Murphys. Tickets. Plural. Two. Tickets for two. Hermione had taken Harry - had not even thought of asking Draco. Well, to be honest, she had after the fact. But then it was too late. Harry deserved to go really. He never did such things for himself, and despite being raised by muggles, his skills in that world were extremely limited. Even she had not taken the time to research or buy the tickets. And they had been amazing seats.
Tickets for two. Draco had…intended for her to ask him, she realized. He did not want to ask her out - he wanted her to ask him out. He only wanted her if she wanted him. And essentially she had said no, had asked someone else. And then she had gone hunting for another gift like a spoilt brat. Merlin! When had she become such a rude witch? That was not the Hermione she thought she was or that she wanted to be.
Hermione sent owls to everyone she knew Draco was still in contact with and carefully read the responses:
Miss Granger,
I fail to see why you would contact me about Draco. Colleagues don’t get to bother him when he’s on vacation. But no, he’s not with me. Please let this be the full extend of our communication,
Mrs. Pansy Nott
Miss Granger,
I don’t know where he is. Sorry.
Gregory Goyle
Miss Granger,
Fuck off.
Zabini
Miss Granger,
You are merely Draco’s colleague, nothing more. Please do not seek to bother him with papers while he has time off.
Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy
She stared at the papers, trying to piece things together. He wasn’t with Pansy and Theodore Nott. Goyle had no clue. She wouldn’t have pictured him as the person Draco would go to when having emotional turmoil. But if Goyle had known, he was her best bet for accidentally telling her. Blaise Zabini was the rudest one. Her finger stuck on his page, his flourishing signature took up the majority of the page. And…Blaise had been with Draco when he drunkenly showed up outside the Weasley’s house. Further, Blaise was his most common social contact. They went drinking almost every Saturday. And whatever else, she wasn’t sure, but considering his apartment was empty (she had checked…the revealing spell put her as the only one in the area of his house). Zabini’s place was her best bet.
But she could not just show up and expect him to welcome her with open arms. Further, she would have to work her way past Zabini, which she had witnessed to be a daunting task. Certainly it should be easier than hunting horcruxes and destroying them, but Hermione did not want to use force. Force won wars, not hearts. Her foot tapped the floor impatiently, wondering what to do. If she did nothing, she would not even have a chance to speak. So it had to be something that he would be forced to hear but short of using ‘sonorus.’
How would he be able to hear what she wanted to say without her saying anything? Her foot stopped mid-tap. She smiled. Yes…she knew exactly what to do.
Title: Cadence Chapter 15
Summary: Draco and Hermione worked together. Trouble ensues once he takes an interest.
Characters/Pairings: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Draco/Hermione
Genre: Romance
Rating/Warnings: Overall PG-13, some language
Word Count: 358
Zabini lived outside of London - the wonders of magic. By the time she tracked down everything she needed, the night was late - easily past midnight. Her cloak waved away from her body as she raised the magical record player above her head. Her body started shivering, which fit quite nicely with the powerful emotional notes entering the air - demanding to be heard, not just because of volume but the emotion.
Shostakovich. There truly was nothing like it. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the music. Lights burst on, and she held her breath as the door opened. Smoldering eyes found her (she squinted to look out).
“Get off my property, Granger. You’re trespassing!” he roared, slowly coming closer, almost circling her like a predator. “I told you to fuck off and leave me alone! I don’t care what you came here for. This is my property. And only those I say can be here are allowed. You aren’t a friend of mine or even a friend of a friend of mine. So just fuck off, bloody Gryffindor.”
Hermione sighed slightly, “I’ll leave when Draco asks me to.”
Zabini sneered, laughing at her, “When he asks you to? You don’t deserve to see his face ever again, bitch. I am speaking for Draco here, so fine, I’ll ‘ask’ you. Granger, will you please leave?”
Hermione didn’t move.
“I’ll hex you off if I have to,” Zabini hissed, his face close in her ear.
She felt nervous inside - Blaise would follow up on that. But she had spent time as part-cat and innumerable hexes. One more would be worth it. She smiled, not aware she did. Draco was worth it. The Slytherin in front of her apparently misinterpreted it and began to raise his wand.
“Blaise!” a sharp…tipsy voice shouted from the door. Hermione opened her eyes, shocked to actually see Draco standing there, willing to talk to her. Blaise stalked off, muttering “your mistake” under his breath.
“I utterly fucked up, but will you…give me a chance?” Hermione asked, uncertain.
“Yes,” Draco replied, smiling, “but only because you had a decent taste in music.”
-Silyara, Slytherin
Summary: Draco and Hermione worked together. Trouble ensues once he takes an interest.
Characters/Pairings: Hermione Granger
Genre: Romance
Rating/Warnings: Overall PG-13
Word Count: 867
Hermione frowned. She had just lost a staring contest with her desk - waiting for some wonderful thing to appear as it had every week for the last month. She had fallen into routine, expecting something to arrive on Fridays and was thus confused when it had not. Perhaps this week was merely…different and Draco wanted to actually communicate with her. Her mind ran through what the gift could be: dinner at an expensive restaurant that she was underdressed for (or maybe he would give her an outfit for it), a trip to the opera or to a play, but more likely it would be something that was beyond her imagination.
She tread toward his office, something she had often done over the years. He was her intellectual equal, so countless debates - over issues or just semantics - had dragged her in there because of drafts or notes sent in the office. A lazy smile crossed her lips watching him carefully pull on his outer cloak, which covered his sharp muggle pinstriped suit. Draco had to do everything the best - even “Muggle Fridays.”
His eyes glanced over as she stepped through the doorway, but he did not smile. In fact, she had no idea how he felt because his body posture and facial expressions may as well have been ice. The temperature dropped around her, and Hermione would have sworn she felt a chill in her spine.
“If you’re looking for a gift, Granger, you’re looking in the wrong place,” Draco clipped out.
“Where is the right place?” Hermione asked playfully. So it wasn’t in either of their offices. Where was it?
“I wouldn’t know,” he answered, brushing past her and leaving a confused witch in his wake.
Title: Cadence Chapter 14
Summary: Draco and Hermione worked together. Trouble ensues once he takes an interest.
Characters/Pairings: Hermione Granger
Genre: Romance
Rating/Warnings: Overall PG-13
Word Count: 288
Draco acted completely professionally the next week, which under previous conditions would not even have been caught on her radar. But after the last month, she felt slighted, and Hermione was not entirely sure why he was acting that way. Before she would have rubbed it off as Malfoy being an arse. But she knew well enough now that he was not being an arse to her for the sake of being an arse. He had to feel she had done something to deserve it. She put off asking him what she had done wrong day after day until Friday Hermione shoved her fear aside and approached his office during lunch.
Her eyes stuck to the floor, which desperately needed attention. Her feet shuffled their best shuffle, which merely slowed her pace rather than scuff her shoes. Her eyes raised and shifted to the left as his closed door came closer. At first, the witch merely stood there, facing that last wriggling worm of doubt winding through her mind. She exhaled loudly, as if to expel the doubt. Knocking, she waited in silence. It was too silent in fact, much too silent.
After a minute, she tried to push the door open - it was locked. A little ‘Alohomora’ did the trick though (Draco had been denied permission to set up wards about his office…he had asked). Inside, the office was empty, even devoid of his usual family pictures. He rarely locked them up or took them with him when she left. Hermione frowned. Fine. He could run, but he would have to be back on Monday - she would confront him then.
But Draco Malfoy had not just run - he hid. Hermione discovered, upon tea in the staff room on break with their boss, that Malfoy was taking his paid vacation. He would not be there the entire week.
Hermione sat, stirring her tea until it was cold. What had she done? She had to have done something. The last gift had been tickets to Dropkick Murphys. Tickets. Plural. Two. Tickets for two. Hermione had taken Harry - had not even thought of asking Draco. Well, to be honest, she had after the fact. But then it was too late. Harry deserved to go really. He never did such things for himself, and despite being raised by muggles, his skills in that world were extremely limited. Even she had not taken the time to research or buy the tickets. And they had been amazing seats.
Tickets for two. Draco had…intended for her to ask him, she realized. He did not want to ask her out - he wanted her to ask him out. He only wanted her if she wanted him. And essentially she had said no, had asked someone else. And then she had gone hunting for another gift like a spoilt brat. Merlin! When had she become such a rude witch? That was not the Hermione she thought she was or that she wanted to be.
Hermione sent owls to everyone she knew Draco was still in contact with and carefully read the responses:
Miss Granger,
I fail to see why you would contact me about Draco. Colleagues don’t get to bother him when he’s on vacation. But no, he’s not with me. Please let this be the full extend of our communication,
Mrs. Pansy Nott
Miss Granger,
I don’t know where he is. Sorry.
Gregory Goyle
Miss Granger,
Fuck off.
Zabini
Miss Granger,
You are merely Draco’s colleague, nothing more. Please do not seek to bother him with papers while he has time off.
Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy
She stared at the papers, trying to piece things together. He wasn’t with Pansy and Theodore Nott. Goyle had no clue. She wouldn’t have pictured him as the person Draco would go to when having emotional turmoil. But if Goyle had known, he was her best bet for accidentally telling her. Blaise Zabini was the rudest one. Her finger stuck on his page, his flourishing signature took up the majority of the page. And…Blaise had been with Draco when he drunkenly showed up outside the Weasley’s house. Further, Blaise was his most common social contact. They went drinking almost every Saturday. And whatever else, she wasn’t sure, but considering his apartment was empty (she had checked…the revealing spell put her as the only one in the area of his house). Zabini’s place was her best bet.
But she could not just show up and expect him to welcome her with open arms. Further, she would have to work her way past Zabini, which she had witnessed to be a daunting task. Certainly it should be easier than hunting horcruxes and destroying them, but Hermione did not want to use force. Force won wars, not hearts. Her foot tapped the floor impatiently, wondering what to do. If she did nothing, she would not even have a chance to speak. So it had to be something that he would be forced to hear but short of using ‘sonorus.’
How would he be able to hear what she wanted to say without her saying anything? Her foot stopped mid-tap. She smiled. Yes…she knew exactly what to do.
Title: Cadence Chapter 15
Summary: Draco and Hermione worked together. Trouble ensues once he takes an interest.
Characters/Pairings: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Draco/Hermione
Genre: Romance
Rating/Warnings: Overall PG-13, some language
Word Count: 358
Zabini lived outside of London - the wonders of magic. By the time she tracked down everything she needed, the night was late - easily past midnight. Her cloak waved away from her body as she raised the magical record player above her head. Her body started shivering, which fit quite nicely with the powerful emotional notes entering the air - demanding to be heard, not just because of volume but the emotion.
Shostakovich. There truly was nothing like it. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the music. Lights burst on, and she held her breath as the door opened. Smoldering eyes found her (she squinted to look out).
“Get off my property, Granger. You’re trespassing!” he roared, slowly coming closer, almost circling her like a predator. “I told you to fuck off and leave me alone! I don’t care what you came here for. This is my property. And only those I say can be here are allowed. You aren’t a friend of mine or even a friend of a friend of mine. So just fuck off, bloody Gryffindor.”
Hermione sighed slightly, “I’ll leave when Draco asks me to.”
Zabini sneered, laughing at her, “When he asks you to? You don’t deserve to see his face ever again, bitch. I am speaking for Draco here, so fine, I’ll ‘ask’ you. Granger, will you please leave?”
Hermione didn’t move.
“I’ll hex you off if I have to,” Zabini hissed, his face close in her ear.
She felt nervous inside - Blaise would follow up on that. But she had spent time as part-cat and innumerable hexes. One more would be worth it. She smiled, not aware she did. Draco was worth it. The Slytherin in front of her apparently misinterpreted it and began to raise his wand.
“Blaise!” a sharp…tipsy voice shouted from the door. Hermione opened her eyes, shocked to actually see Draco standing there, willing to talk to her. Blaise stalked off, muttering “your mistake” under his breath.
“I utterly fucked up, but will you…give me a chance?” Hermione asked, uncertain.
“Yes,” Draco replied, smiling, “but only because you had a decent taste in music.”
-Silyara, Slytherin